Canada’s Entrepreneur

What does it take to build a company that beats the odds — and wins the permit that only 1 in 9 has done this decade?

🎙 Episode Overview:

In this powerful episode of Canada’s Entrepreneur, Angela Faye sits down with Rana Vig, President & CEO of Blue Lagoon Resources, to unpack one of the most underrated yet urgent entrepreneurial stories in Canada right now.

With the Dome Mountain Gold Project set to enter production in summer 2025, Blue Lagoon is making a rare leap — from exploration to gold producer — in a capital-intensive, highly regulated, and notoriously slow-moving industry.

Yet this episode isn’t just about mining.

It’s about how bold vision, disciplined execution, and public-private navigation can turn a long shot into a moonshot — and what every Canadian entrepreneur can learn from Rana’s playbook.

🔍 What You’ll Hear:

• How Blue Lagoon became 1 of only 9 companies in a decade to receive a BC mining permit
• What business owners can learn about timing, strategy, and raising capital in complex sectors
• The future of Canadian-built companies that create real, rooted value in people and place
• How mining might just be Canada’s most surprising startup space
• A special invitation for entrepreneurs looking to partner, invest, or contribute to Canada’s future

💎 BONUS:

8-9 JULY DESTINATION TOUR: DOME GOLD MINE & SMITHERS BC

Canada’s Entrepreneur & Blue Lagoon Resources invites you to be celebrate the opening of the Dome Gold Mine, and explore what destination Smithers, BC offers. Make your way to Smithers BC, 8-9 July 2025, and here are some highlights we’ve put together for you:

• Dome Gold Mine - Underground mine tour on 8th July
• Dome Ribbon - Ribbon cutting ceremony with local celebrities, politicians, First Nations, industry, and community supporters 9th July
• Meetup in person with Rana Vig, CEO
• Join a tour of commercial/industrial properties for sale
• Find out more about visiting Smithers BC - https://tourismsmithers.com/

🎧 Register Interest to unlock destination and event tour details. More details coming soon.

💎 BONUS: Members Hub

Launching later this year is our Members Only Content. For the second half of the conversation,
exclusively for Canada’s Entrepreneur members — where we break down:

• Blue Lagoon’s capital strategy & business model
• Opportunities for collaboration and investment
• What it will take to accelerate Canada’s 4 Moonshots through partnerships like this

🎧 Become a member to unlock full access.

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The newscast for entrepreneurs is all about savings. With all the talk about tariffs and the like, it seems that margins will take a hit. So for entrepreneurs the news is, how can we increase savings to offset lower margins. Today, we're going to meet Mike Deboer, who is Franchise Development Advisor for Schooley Mitchell, a partner of Canada's entrepreneur and the leading cost reduction experts for entrepreneurs to use in Canada. Then we can go into the Top 10 reasons to manage your overheads and the proven benefits of doing this.

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Jamie Conroy is the beating heart of Orenda, an Alberta-based non-profit organization that promotes the mental health and well-being of youth, families, and individuals through a range of mentorship programs, workshops, and retreats. With a Bachelor of Education and 12 years of experience, Jamie has worked with youth and communities across various projects — from the Inspired Youth School Project to the Boys and Girls Club of Calgary, as well as the NHPCA, the Chamber of Okotoks, CBE, and the Foothills School Division. She is also certified in yoga and life coaching, and brings both depth and versatility to guiding people and building systems that make a lasting, positive impact. Guided by the principle of challenging and loving simultaneously, Jamie develops family- and community-driven programs that prioritize trust, safety, and connection. Through Orenda, she is helping create a world where personal and collective transformation, youth and family development, and community-building thrive.

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Adam Hislop creates videos and movies that help people communicate clearly and effectively. Along with the rest of his team at Atomic Spark, he produces commercials, brand films, promotional videos, website videos, and training materials.

And he’s been doing it successfully for the past twenty five years – so he has some great stories to tell us.

Stay Connected with #CanadasEntrepreneur!

Join our growing community of entrepreneurs across Canada! Don't miss out on inspiring interviews, expert insights, and the latest business trends from the people shaping the future of our economy.

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David Leinster leads Contemporary Calgary with a strong vision, a creative mindset, and a focus on community, collaboration, and partnership. Since joining the organisation in 2018, David has been dedicated to advancing the gallery’s mission of making modern and contemporary art accessible to all while fostering a vibrant cultural hub in Calgary.

David’s connection to Contemporary Calgary runs deep. As a key leader in the city’s Expression of Interest process for the Centennial Planetarium, he collaborated with arts community leaders to secure the Planetarium’s future as a home for contemporary art. His dedication to this process cemented his reputation as a creative and strategic thinker, advocating for modern and contemporary art in Calgary. This work followed his involvement with the Institute for Modern and Contemporary Art (IMCA), which later merged with other arts organisations to form Contemporary Calgary in 2014.

Under David’s leadership, Contemporary Calgary has achieved transformative milestones. He secured a 35-year lease of the historic Centennial Planetarium, guaranteeing the gallery’s future in one of Calgary’s most iconic buildings. Additionally, he led efforts to secure a $30 million federal government commitment for future renovations and expansions and has helped raise millions of dollars in private philanthropy, significantly elevating the gallery’s profile locally, nationally, and internationally. In 2024, David’s advocacy was instrumental in achieving Civic Partner status for Contemporary Calgary, aligning it with the City’s major cultural and tourism attractions and ensuring its financial stability.

Before joining Contemporary Calgary, David built a diverse professional background that uniquely prepared him to meet the challenges the gallery faced. At Enbridge, the largest energy transportation company in the world, he oversaw the strategic development and execution of the company’s long-term brand vision. He also led high-profile corporate and nonprofit accounts at Karo Group, a leading Western Canadian branding agency. These roles gave him a deep understanding of the many facets of business, equipping him with the diverse skills needed to lead a complex cultural organization at a pivotal moment.

David’s passion for art stems from his grandmother, an artist who inspired his lifelong appreciation for art, culture and creativity. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from St. Francis Xavier University, where his education also included studies in drawing and painting. This unique combination of artistic insight and business expertise shapes his leadership style and continues to guide his vision for Contemporary Calgary.

Committed to accessibility, collaboration, and innovation, David leads a team of passionate employees who are driving change in Calgary’s arts community and beyond. His work has earned recognition, including being named one of Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2022..

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Cathy Cowan is an entrepreneurial success in marketing communications. With more than two decades of agency leadership, she collaborates with nonprofits, agencies, and socially conscious businesses to create communications that drive meaningful change.

She began her career actually working for me and then moved to non profits and PR agencies including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, Weber Shandwick and GCI Group, honing my expertise in strategy, management and gold-standard communications. She founded Cowan & Company Communications, a full-service marketing communications agency, where for nearly 20 years led award-winning campaigns and social impact communications for top-tier brands including L’Oréal Paris, Kraft, Jamieson Vitamins and Food Banks Canada. Her work earned more than 15 industry awards, and Cowan & Company was named IABC Toronto’s "Boutique PR Agency of the Year" four times between 2007 and 2017.

Cathy currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Center for Women’s Empowerment, Board of Advisors for Women’s Nonprofit Network and volunteer as a mentor and Ovation Awards judge for IABC Toronto.

She now focuses all skills and passion for "doing good" at C&C Consulting where she leads integrated marketing communications for nonprofits and corporate social impact programs. Her continual goal is to help purpose-driven organizations transform their communications and maximize their social impact.

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Stay Connected with #CanadasEntrepreneur!

Join our growing community of entrepreneurs across Canada! Don't miss out on inspiring interviews, expert insights, and the latest business trends from the people shaping the future of our economy.

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Now with Schooley Mitchell I'm helping entrepreneurs save money, which means effectively make money by reducing the amount of money they spend on services.

Stan has over twenty five years experience in management and business consulting. He currently helps business clients of all sizes realize greater profitability and improved cashflow by optimizing their expenses in a range of basic business services such as telecommunications, electronic payments, software licenses, small package shipping, waste management, uniforms and facility supplies. He latest venture being a Strategic Partner of Schooley Mitchell, North America's largest independent cost reduction consulting organization. For many years Stan's been a global business unit leader, advanced technology marketer and an innovation advisor to startups, SMEs and innovative entrepreneurs. He's also an active investor, avid reader and public policy wonk.

Tags: #Expense #Optimization #CostReductionAnalysis #ExpenseManagement #Expense Reduction #BusinessConsulting

 

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Stay Connected with #CanadasEntrepreneur!

Join our growing community of entrepreneurs across Canada! Don't miss out on inspiring interviews, expert insights, and the latest business trends from the people shaping the future of our economy.

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Being a musician and and looking for gigs is is an ongoing process. You're always selling yourself. They're always looking for work. But so many of them have other jobs, because that's what pays the bills.

This podcast is a little different, more of a book review with an entrepreneurial focus. David Eisenstadt, who's a founder and longtime owner of CPGR a well know communications company is also a very well-known author of a number of books that cover Jewish performers that run under the name Musicians Under The Radar. you know, it's really interesting to find out what jazz trumpeter, Freddie Stone, Anvil's heavy metal guitarist, Steve Lips Kudlow, Lorne Green, Robbie Robertson, even singer-songwriter Mendelssohn, Joe have in common. They are all talented Jewish Musicians who appear in David’s latest book. This interview is a little different, because, of course, all these musicians have an entrepreneurial flair as they're creating their own their own content and selling it. And, of course David is a long time entrepreneur which makes this even more interesting.

Find out more and check at David’s latest book MUSICIANS UNDER THE RADAR – 46 Notable Canadian Jewish Performers on Amazon or go to www.undertheradarbook.com.

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Toronto-based KnowMeQ Founder and CEO Matt Foran knows how AI can address two emerging and linked issues in Higher Education. KnowMeQ is the leading AI enabled, web-based workforce diagnostic & up-skilling assessment tool that identifies real skill gaps to make predictive decisions to improve your company’s workforce skill, performance and agility. KnowMeQ is an Adaptability Quotient (AQ) indicator tool. AQ is regarded as the most important measure for success in today and tomorrow’s world of work. It provides the ability for employees and companies to adapt and thrive in rapidly changing environments. Matt holds a Masters of Education from the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education in Adult Education with a specialization in Workplace Learning and Social Change. He is a published researcher and in 2010, founded the world’s first fully online adult literacy program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing adults.

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Stay Connected with #CanadasEntrepreneur!

Join our growing community of entrepreneurs across Canada! Don't miss out on inspiring interviews, expert insights, and the latest business trends from the people shaping the future of our economy.

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At the very core of who we Helcim is, is the mission to be the world's most loved payments company. We are relentless in our pursuit to provide a radically transparent and honest payments solution that flat out saves business owners money, all while treating them like human beings.

Nicolas Beique is the founder and chief executive officer at Helcim. His goal is to deliver a better payment, experience and better tools to merchants who just want to run their business. Today Helcim serves thousands of merchants in Canada and the United States, and has been has built a reputation for being a friendly and transparent payment processor. At the very core of who we are is our mission to be the world's most loved payments company. It's like a necessary kind of evil that you have to have but and we really try to. You know, flip that on its head and be like, what if?

Nicolas has been recognized for his contributions to the payment industry and technology as the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Prairies technology overall category winner in 2018, and is a member of the Avenue Calgary top 40, under 40 class of 2019.

 

#payments #accounting #entrepreneur #entrepreneurinsights

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Stay Connected with #CanadasEntrepreneur!

Join our growing community of entrepreneurs across Canada! Don't miss out on inspiring interviews, expert insights, and the latest business trends from the people shaping the future of our economy.

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